Articles tagged: Texas Legislature
Loon Star State: Out With Democracy
Texas Republicans have been up to some spring cleaning.
To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section, or find Observer political reporting here. Read more from the Observer:...Read More
2021 Texas Lege in Review: Red Meat, Broken Promises, and More of the Same Old Shit
Texas Republicans proved too busy burnishing their far-right bona fides to attend to minor matters like lethal winter storms and mass incarceration.
On Tuesday at the state Capitol, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law two bills aimed at strengthening the electric grid and reforming the agencies that regulat...Read More
When Your Birth Is a State Secret
Texan adoptees argue that they should have a right to see their own birth certificates.
Shawna Hodgson, a mother of four who lives in Tomball, learned about her deep Texas roots the hard way: As an adoptee, she couldn’t just pay $22 and get a cop...Read More
The Lege This Week: Bitterness and Brinkmanship
Amid the theatrics that consumed the final full week of session, lawmakers still haven’t finalized much of their already-lackluster winter storm response.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
As Homeless Camping Drama Rages, Protestors Camp Outside Austin City Hall
“What they want is to push us back to where they don’t see us anymore.”
Samantha “Sunshine” Conley was homeless before Austin rolled back its citywide camping ban in 2019. She was homeless for the brief interim that the repeal l...Read More
The Lege This Week: Behind Closed Doors
With the end of session near, Texas lawmakers descend into the backrooms of the Capitol to hash out hugely consequential legislation.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
Fighting Anti-Trans Legislation Takes a Toll on Texas Kids and Families
A record-breaking wave of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced by state legislatures across the country this year. Texas lawmakers filed the most of any state, the majority of them attacking trans youth.
In 2015, after coming out as transgender at the start of 7th grade, 12-year-old Landon Richie traveled to Austin from Houston with his parents to speak to his r...Read More
Yet Again, Texas Lawmakers Face Crisis Conditions in Texas Prisons
Texas lawmakers are confronted with a bleak picture of life inside Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities every two years. Will they act this year?
Lovinah Igbani feels lucky for surviving six Texas summers confined to a prison cell without air conditioning. During a House Corrections Committee hearing in l...Read More
Texas Republicans Are Trying to Protect Trucking Companies from Lawsuits
The initiative is part of a larger, decades-long push for tort reform in the state.
In March 2019, an 18-wheeler pulled across five lanes of traffic on Washington Street in Amarillo to pick up a load of groceries for delivery. It was early, sti...Read More